The invention relates to a surgical obturator for piercing a body wall, comprising a tubular housing that at one end forms an introduction tip with a continuously decreasing diameter, and comprising a blade projecting from the introduction tip for making an incision in the body wall.
Such obturators are used to form openings in a body wall for a cannula or a tube, which tube may be for example a trocar tube, through which instruments are introduced into the body.
When the obturator is being advanced, there is a risk that the obturator, once it has passed right through the body wall, may be advanced further in an uncontrolled manner and the blade disposed on the front end of the obturator may cause injury to internal organs.
It is therefore known to provide such obturators with a protective shield, which after passage through the body wall is pushed forward and covers the blade (WO89/03661). Advancing the protective shield can likewise lead to injuries, as it often shoots forward abruptly under the action of a spring, and it is moreover usually necessary for the obturator to have fully penetrated the body wall before activation of the protective shield may occur.